Genesis Rising is the latest space-RTS to come out of Dreamcatcher games. The game has some fantastic graphics and presents truly refreshing concepts to the increasingly stagnant RTS genre. Unfortunately, as is often the case, what looks good on paper seldom carries through in practice. The game is a buggy mess, filled with freezes and a slew of technical errors, interface issues, and a variety of problems that can render it unplayable at some moments. Genesis Rising is yet another unfortunate example of a game that could’ve been great, but was released far too early.

It’s not all glum in Genesis Rising. The game’s concept is quite sound, presenting a universe where humans are an aggressive and brutal race in comparison to other civilized races throughout the galaxy. As one Captain Iconah, you must search the galaxy looking for the Universal Heart, which will allow the vicious human race to take top tier amongst the galactic stage, for better or worse, depending on how you view it.

The gameplay has some interesting elements, allowing you to upgrade your units to an almost RPG-like degree through the use of genetics. You collect genes from fallen enemies, which can then be applied to your vessels for more power and abilities. You will also be able to collect your foes’ blood after destroying their craft (a very gory venture), which will give you more health. The gene factor adds an extra layer of strategy to the game, as you’ll have to determine which ships are the best to take out first, allowing you access to their abilities.

Unfortunately, the game’s innovative ideas fall into shaky ground once you actually begin the game. The game crashes very frequently, locking up at the main menu and behaving extremely erratically. It can be extremely difficult to get into the battles as a result. There also is a fair amount of waiting involved, as the pace can slow down to a crawl when you’re trying to get your ships to where they need to be. Once you do get to the battles, however, it does become very quick and intense, which unfortunately is far too jarring after the plodding space navigation.

The game’s fast-paced action is a blessing and a curse. The game boasts some very intense moments, with some jarring, hair-trigger moments. Unfortunately, the unwieldy interface makes this more frustrating than it should be, resulting in too many lost battles. Plus, the pace of the action cannot be slowed down nor adjusted, a move which might cause many to quit the game in aggravation.

At least Genesis Rising is a quite impressive visual feat. The ships sport an appropriately organic look, reminiscent of something that H.R. Giger would come up with. They boast an incredible amount of detail, and when coupled with the great special effects and explosions, make for some fantastic looking space battles, even if they don’t quite play that way.

The sound effects fall prey to the game’s technical shortcomings, as the sound will frequently cut out at times with no explanation. Not to say that you won’t miss much, as the units spew off stock slogans and commands when they are ordered around.

Having previewed an earlier build of Genesis Rising, I was excited about what the game could offer the genre. The game had some fantastic ideas that if implemented right, could’ve meant great things for RTS fans. However, the game turned into another sad rush-job with tons of bugs and erratic pacing, and one that many RTS fans will likely avoid.

Gameplay: 5.5
The game has some pretty cool ideas throughout, implementing a new layer to strategy gameplay in the way of upgrades and gene-stealing. Unfortunately, pacing issues, technical problems, and a generally spotty interface kill what the game sets out to accomplish.

Graphics: 8.5
Genesis Rising does manage to succeed in being a great-looking game, with excellent ship models and some cool special effects, making for some epic-looking space battles.

Sound: 6.0
The sound is quite buggy, cutting out too often, and the voice acting and dialogue is generic and doesn’t stand out against other titles in the genre.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 6.5
Some really great ideas that unfortunately don’t follow through to fruition due to general bugginess.

Multiplayer: 6.0
The online component fares a bit better (and slightly faster) than the single-player portion, but still moves a bit slowly leading up to the battles themselves.

Overall: 5.5
With a few more months in development, Genesis Rising really could’ve been something. However, the game was rushed out far too early, and can even be unplayable at times.